This invention relates to an enclosure for a firearm, and in particular a rifle, and more specifically, to a firearm enclosure for a black powder rifle.
Firearms find use in hunting, target shooting, and military applications. Except for certain indoor uses for firearms, such as in indoor firing ranges, firearms are used outdoors, which makes them subject to ambient weather conditions. While clear and dry weather conditions are most desirable, firearms are also used in inclement weather. This may particularly be the case in military and hunting applications.
Conventional firearms typically have steel components such as steel barrels, receivers, sights, etc., which, if exposed to water or moisture, are susceptible to rust and corrosion. Use of stainless steel for those components can reduce the effects of rain and moisture, but use of stainless steel for such firearm components is the exception.
In order to protect the firearm, particularly if the firearm is a rifle, covers have heretofore been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,678,344 and 6,256,922, both issued to Jones, et al., disclose firearm casings having openings to allow for the sights of a rifle and the trigger area to be exposed during use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,498, issued to Stinemates, discloses a gun mitten for warmth to the shooter's hand during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,464, issued to Binney, discloses a protective gun cover for use when the gun is not being used.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,371 to Stackhouse discloses a flexible plastic rain gun case which may be deployed over a firearm. The Stackhouse gun case provides openings for trigger access and shell ejection and, therefore, does not provide for a moisture-proof case. Similarly, the Stackhouse reference specifically provides air vents to prevent the enclosure from retaining moisture and to facilitate use of the Stackhouse rain gun case for long-term storage. As such, the Stackhouse reference is not moisture proof and does not provide for a waterproof closure which also protects against humidity and other ambient moisture.
With the increased popularity of primitive weapons, black powder rifles have seen renewed interest. Typical firearms today use cartridges for holding gun powder which, upon detonation, propel a bullet carried in the cartridge outwardly through the barrel of a gun. With black powder weapons, and in particular, black powder rifles, a pre-selected amount of black powder is poured into the barrel of the rifle through the open-end of the barrel, also known as the muzzle. Black powder rifles are thus also referred to as “muzzle loaders.” This loading method is in contrast to conventional rifles, where the cartridge is inserted into a receiver at the end of the barrel opposite the muzzle end, adjacent to a firing pin.
In loading the black powder rifle, after the black powder has been poured into the muzzle, a bullet, ordinarily together with wadding material, is inserted into the muzzle and pressed downwardly and seated firmly against the powder. The rifle is fired by igniting the black powder, typically using a primer cap or flint lock system activated by pulling of the trigger. The ignition of the black powder causes the bullet and wadding (which serves to reduce premature release of the black powder's explosive gases around the bullet) to be expelled through the barrel out of the muzzle, towards the intended target.
With the cartridge ammunition generally used today, water and moisture effects on the firing of such cartridges, once loaded into a firearm, is generally negligible. This is not the case, however, with black powder firearms. Exposure of black powder to water and moisture directly impacts its performance, and depending on the amount of exposure, could render the black powder useless. Accordingly, once a black powder rifle is loaded, extreme care must be taken to prevent moisture from coming into contact with the black powder therein. Rainy, misty, foggy, or high humidity ambient conditions can significantly impact hunting with black powder firearms, since it is desirable to keep the firearm and powder as dry as possible at all times. It is thus desirable to keep the firearm in a moisture-proof enclosure during such foul weather. However, this obviously poses a problem in actually using the weapon if it is completely enclosed.
Also, a gun cover which is camouflaged would be desirable so as to minimize visibility by the intended prey.